Gavin Newsom, the California governor, announced the appointment of two prominent scientists who left the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in recent months over conflicts with the Trump administration to state positions.
Dr Susan Monarez, the former director of the CDC, will lead California’s new public health initiative, the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX).
In August, Monarez was fired by the Trump administration less than a month into the top job at the CDC after refusing to step down. Monarez had clashed with Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. on vaccine policy.
Newsom also hired former CDC chief medical officer Dr Debra Houry, who resigned after a decade at the agency after Monarez’s dismissal.
Both Monarez and Houry testified before Congress in September to voice their concerns about secretary Kennedy’s vaccine agenda and the sweeping changes he was making to the country’s public health system.
PHNIX was created to modernize the state’s public health infrastructure and serve as a direct response to the Trump administration’s dismantling of public health safeguards and prioritization of vaccine skepticism. PHNIX’s areas of focus will be technology development, modernizing the information infrastructure and funding frameworks, according to the governor’s office.
“The Public Health Network Innovation Exchange is expected to bring together the best science, the best tools, and the best minds to advance public health,” Newsom said in a statement.
“By bringing on expert scientific leaders to partner in this launch, we’re strengthening collaboration and laying the groundwork for a modern public health infrastructure that will offer trust and stability in scientific data not just across California, but nationally and globally.”
Monarez will serve as a strategic health technology and funding adviser for PHNIX, while Houry’s title will be senior regional and global public health medical adviser.
Newsom has emerged as one of Trump’s highest-profile critics. Since Trump has taken office for the second time, Newsom has enacted a series of initiatives meant to combat the administration’s actions. In March, he signed an executive order to facilitate the hiring of laid off federal employees in response to the mass firings orchestrated by Doge. Newsom has also further cemented California as a symbol of Trump resistance through participation in the West Coast Health Alliance and the Governors Public Health Alliance.
Newsom is considering making a bid for the White House in 2028, but has said he is holding off on making any decisions until after the 2026 midterm elections. His term as California governor ends in 2027, and he is ineligible to run again due to term limits.
